By Faith Chondol
At least 34 people, including a police officer, were killed in a wave of attacks across Plateau and Kogi states last week of May 2026, raising renewed concerns over violations of the fundamental right to life in Nigeria’s conflict-hit Middle Belt.
The attacks, which witnesses and local sources attributed to alleged armed Fulani ethnic militia, left dozens injured, displaced hundreds of residents, and destroyed homes, farmlands, and places of worship in what survivors described as coordinated assaults on vulnerable rural communities.
Under Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, every citizen has the right to life. Human rights advocates argue that the persistent killings and repeated failures to protect civilians represent a grave threat to that constitutional guarantee.
In Plateau State, at least 11 residents were killed Friday night in Ngbra Zongo community of Bassa Local Government Area after armed men reportedly stormed homes during heavy rainfall, shooting residents and attacking others with machetes. Victims included children, elderly persons, and pregnant women, while 10 others sustained injuries.
Days earlier, mourners attending the burial of seven victims in Nding Sesut village of Barkin Ladi reportedly fled for safety after gunmen invaded the community and opened fire near the funeral ground.
On Saturday evening, fresh attacks erupted again in Barkin Ladi, where armed assailants invaded Sabon Layi, Rakung, Gamgare, and nearby communities, killing at least eight persons, including a police inspector. Eleven others were reportedly injured.
Residents accused security agencies of delayed responses despite the presence of military formations in the area.
In Kogi State, three persons were killed in Edede community, Dekina axis, during a midday attack that witnesses said forced families to flee burning homes into surrounding bushes. Another five people were reportedly killed days later in Ochipu, Bassa area, during an hours-long assault before security operatives arrived.
“We are now hopeless, helpless and homeless,” one resident told local media after the attack on Edede community.
Beyond the killings, the humanitarian consequences continue to deepen across Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The Catholic Diocese of Wukari in Taraba State disclosed that nearly 98,000 people have been displaced since September 2025 due to persistent attacks, while more than 217 churches and several homes have been destroyed.
Human rights observers warn that the repeated attacks, mass displacement, and destruction of civilian communities underscore the Nigerian government’s obligation under both domestic and international law to protect lives and ensure accountability for abuses.
Security analysts say the continued cycle of violence, coupled with delayed interventions and lack of prosecutions, has further weakened public confidence in state institutions.
Despite repeated attacks in affected communities, many residents say they remain exposed and vulnerable, with survivors increasingly questioning whether their right to life is being adequately protected.
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